China should keep up its strong economic expansion over the next five years, with annual growth of 8 percent driven by abundant labor and a big domestic market. China still faces problems from unemployment, gaps in income between city and countryside, social welfare burdens and a large population of migrant laborers. The Government should focus on giving migrant workers and farmers a fair chance since the gap between the haves and have-nots has already become a threat toward the country’s social harmony. Achieving development with greater equity and ensuring that all people, including the disadvantaged groups, have equal opportunities and a decent life free from poverty should be the future focus of China’s future development plans. China has been trying to find a balance between efficiency and equality in income distribution. As the country’s economy took off, however, priority was given to efficiency, and a huge number of farmers, migrants and even some urban labourers at the lower rungs of the social ladder have been economically affected. It’s of great importance to promote fairness in income distribution as a way to curb unstable factors that could endanger social stability and public security. To achieve equality for the have-nots, China should also set up a social security network for all of its people, no matter where they live and what their social status is, the article recommended. In cities, the government has been trying to bring urban residents under social security umbrellas including the unemployed, work-related, medical and pension insurances. However, most farmers- turned-workers have been excluded from the benefits. The poorly functioning medical care system and the insufficient social security system are the first things to be blamed.
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